


you, bathed in light, mysterious

by ideallyqualia



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms, Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bravely Default Fusion, Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/F, First Meetings, Miscommunication, Pre-Relationship, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 07:38:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8154338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideallyqualia/pseuds/ideallyqualia
Summary: Falling star is a misnomer when a loud crash awakens Yachi. She, in turn, awakens an out-of-season hero.





	

**Author's Note:**

> title prompt taken from [enstars,](https://twitter.com/enstars_eng/status/769418749220839424) but crossover fusion with bravely default.
> 
> I've been wanting to do kiyoyachi for a long time, but my wips died last year. now, hopefully my need for self-indulgent crossovers that got out of hand can end.
> 
> this kind of follows the plot of bravely second. spoilers for bravely second. kind of.

Yachi gathered her cloak around herself. Her teeth clattered together, rattling faintly and only to her own ears, like she was occupying a husk of a presence and shaking inside. Her breath blew out in puffs, drifting and curling through the air.

Yukie huffed out loud. She rose to a full breath, and then to a straighter height. “We’ve been in Eternia for a while now. You’re not used to the cold yet?"

“I think it’d take a lifetime to get used to this,” Yachi managed to say, her lips muffled from rolling together to cushion their own warmth.

“It’s not too bad.”

They continued walking. Yukie maintained an easy mobility, as free as a summer sunshine, and Yachi couldn’t help watching and marveling. There was an unfairness in it, the way Yukie had grown up surrounded by eternal winter, managing to extract a strength _opposite_ its origin. Yachi could barely move her stiff limbs, frigid with numbing soreness and shivering down to her legs.

“You walk funny,” Yachi said. She broke her stiff-legged pace to clap her hand over her mouth. “That’s not what I meant!"

Yukie wordlessly laughed.

“I meant, it’s weird that, you can _walk_ in this cold. I mean, that you can walk like _that_. Like that."

“Is it that weird that we come from different places? You’re not even that far from Eternia. Gathelatio…” Yukie trailed off, her mouth working around the unfamiliar name.

Yachi stopped. Her arms shifted at her sides, but she couldn’t dredge up the effort to move them again, and she resorted to gesturing with her eyes. “What’s…that."

A small cluster of dilapidated houses stood in the distance. Stone posts dotted the ground at uneven spacing, casting shadows on the snow turned white under the moon.

Yukie’s hand fell from scratching her head. “Oh. This is Gravemark Village. I forgot about this place."

“Grave…mark…?” Yachi echoed. “What kind of name is that?"

“I don’t remember what it used to be called, but after a disease came in and took everyone, it turned into a ghost town. There’s nothing left.”

Yachi’s arm creaked up, bending to point at a stone. “Are these… _graves_?"

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Yukie brushed her hand over her hair and gazed up. “Hey, look. Isn’t that tree pretty? It’s covered in flowers!"

Yachi took it in, moment by moment, her eyes wandering from the grave-spoked ground to the tree. “Oh, it’s…a magnolia, I think."

“Really?"

“It grows up north, over here.”

They walked closer. Yachi held on to her cloak, her hands clasping it tight and close over her chest. Yukie approached the base of the tree and looked up, her head falling back so far that her head angled perpendicular to the ground.

“I never knew the name,” Yukie said. “Actually, I’ve heard the name, but I never knew what it looked like."

“I learned about it in school. There’s a saying about it. ‘Like a falling star, a magnolia out of season…’"

Yukie watched her expectantly, and Yachi’s shoulders rose. “Oh, uhm, sorry, that’s all there was to it."

“Don’t worry about it. Not important.” Yukie glanced around. “It’s getting late. Let’s set up camp."

Yachi fumbled. “ _Here_?” she whispered.

“Are you afraid of ghosts?”

Yachi averted her eyes and fisted her hand in her clothing.

“Because I’m kind of scared of them,” Yukie confessed. “I think I’d be terrified to walk around here in the complete dark, let alone sleep here."

“O-oh, I understand."

“It’s safer to make camp outside the village."

“I think that makes sense.” Yachi rubbed the side of her neck.

They pitched a tent nearby, and Yukie sat down and made herself comfortable, crossing her legs and tugging her pack of belongings over. She handed Yachi a sandwich. “Next time we find a real town, let’s buy more food."

“I can’t believe we’re almost there,” Yachi said before taking a bite. “How many more days until we reach Kaori?"

“I think 2 or 3. We’re not far now. Do you know anything about this side of Eternia?"

Yachi hurried to swallow. She choked, and Yukie had to reach forward and clap her on her back.

“Thanks."

Yukie hummed in response and took another bite.

“I’ve traveled a few places, and I spent a long time at Al-Khampis for school, but I never went this far north or studied it,” Yachi said.

Yukie stretched her arms and yawned. Their food went fast, but it cured their hunger, leaving them full and warm.

Yachi grabbed a blanket. Yukie covered herself with one and left the rest for Yachi.

“You can have the rest,” Yukie said.

“I don’t think I’ll need that many."

Yukie shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She curled down on the floor and covered her head.

Within minutes, she was snoring. Half her legs and arms didn’t fit under the blanket after she tossed and turned, and her head freed itself in her deep yet eventful sleep. She still appeared peaceful, and Yachi could’ve sworn she heard her mumble something about truffles and triple chocolate ice cream.

Yachi reached for another blanket. She eyed Yukie and watched for any telltale signs of consciousness, but she remained asleep, and Yachi decided to take another blanket.

Her eyes drifted closed. The awareness of falling asleep never struck her, but a sudden shaking in the earth and a flash in the strip of sky through the tent flap jolted her wide awake.

“Yukie?” she asked right away.

“Mrmrm…” Yukie rolled over.

Yachi’s shoulders hitched to her ears, and she hardened the grip in the blankets. “Yukie, are you awake…?”

Yukie didn’t respond again. Her snoring resumed, faint but unmistakable.

Yachi turned and stared into the material of the tent in front of her, her eyes fixed on the stitching patterns and threads tied together. Nothing shook again, and the light and noise didn’t repeat.

“Yukie, I don’t know what happened,” she said in a hushed whisper. She scooted closer, dragging the blankets with her across the floor.

She shook Yukie’s shoulder. “Wake up, Yukie, wake up, _please_ , there’s something out there."

Yukie’s eyes squinted open. She lifted her head from her curled sleep, the slope of her body hinting at a defensiveness for comfort. “What is it?” she asked in a grumble. “I was having a dream about sponge cake."

Yachi pointed outside, jabbing in a frantic quiet movement.

Yukie groaned and climbed to her feet. “Let’s go.” She picked her sword off the floor. She twisted it in the air and let it spin, flicking it and coming to terms with an experienced, automatic grip.

“Eh??! You’re. You think a monster’s out there?"

“At this rate, I _hope_ something’s out there.” Yukie stepped forward and led them outside. “It’ll pay for waking me up,” she murmured.

Yachi poked her head out of the tent. Yukie’s eyes settled on the dead village littered with graves, the snow bright and eerie under the full moon’s glow.

“I see something weird,” Yukie said sleepily. “I don’t think it was there before? I don’t remember it."

Yachi breathed in a gulp. “What does it look like?"

“I can’t tell. It’s kind of round, with something sticking out of it.” Yukie pointed with her sword, her wrist loose in a lazy swing. “Ahead. C’mon."

When Yachi didn’t move, she sighed and tugged Yachi along. “Don’t be scared. The moonlight’s brighter than I thought it’d be. It’s too bright for anything to hide."

Yachi calmed. “The snow has a glare."

“It’s almost _too_  bright. The moon’s right above us.” Yukie shuffled through the snow, and she released Yachi’s hand.

They paused when the unknown shape came into view. A large purple mass of metal was lodged in the snow, with edged landing gear on the top indicating it had landed face down.

“An airship…?” Yukie’s sword-arm lowered. “What in the world."

“If that noise earlier was a crash, then something must’ve happened to it,” Yachi said. “What if someone’s in there?”

“I guess we check it out.” Yukie walked up to it and banged on the door with her fist. “Open up, or say something,” she called out.

They received nothing in response. Yachi clasped her hands together and fidgeted until she came to a decision, reaching for the door handle and opening it. She flinched back.

“Don’t do something if you’re going to back off from it.” Yukie held her sword away to peer inside. “Huh? Wake up,” she said, her voice carrying to direct itself down. "Sleeping’s how stuff like crashes happen."

“Someone’s in there asleep?!"

“Well, they’re not awake.” Yukie crouched to set her sword in the snow. “If they’re knocked out, I guess they’re harmless."

“That’s great! Not for them, but I’m glad. We’re all in one piece."

“Just a minute. If they _wake up,_ they might do something.” Yukie crept back toward the door and looked inside. “It’s two against one, so if you try something, you’re out of luck."

“I thought they’re unconscious? They can’t hear you."

“What if they’re faking?” Yukie reached in and dragged them out, heaving with strained breaths. She fell backward and crumpled, snow crunching under her. The person she rescued lied on the ground next to her, eyes closed and arms splayed out.

“Did that hurt?” Yachi asked.

Yukie sat up and held the side of her head. “Yeah, that _hurt_.” She shook her head to clear herself. Her eyes fell back to the stranger. “I guess whoever it is, is really knocked out."

Yachi’s shoulders relaxed. “Should we do something for her? She looks alive."

Yukie crawled forward, her bare hands digging in the snow for a few moments, and she grabbed the stranger’s collar and jerked them back and forth.

“ _Wake up!_ "

“Yukie!” Yachi cringed.

“Nothing.” Yukie placed the stranger back on the floor and stood. “I don’t know. What’re you supposed to do when someone won’t wake up?"

Yachi paused, her eyes lighting up with recollection. “The magnolia tree!"

“What about it?"

“I’ll be right back!” Yachi held her hand over her chest to keep her cloak on, and she struggled to maintain her grip as she hurried. She exerted the _effort_ of running, but the formidable level of snow slowed her down, and her steps propelled her forward with a noticeable delay.

Yukie crossed her arms and glanced down at the stranger. Her clothes resembled nothing that Yukie knew, but the hair drew her eyes, flowing long and luminous, lit by the pale moon framed in Eternian clouds.

Yachi returned with breathless gasps overtaking her chest. She thrust her hand out. “This. Blossoms."

“You’re going to have to say more than that."

Yachi braced her hand on her chest to calm herself down. “Magnolia blossoms can wake people up."

“Oh? Nifty. School talk’s useful.”

Yukie crouched beside the stranger as Yachi waved the flower in the stranger's face. Yukie watched in interest, but after a few minutes, her mouth fell weary.

“Do you know what you’re doing?"

“No.” Yachi dropped the flower and shrunk back. “All I know is that they wake people up, but I don’t know anything else."

They fell into silence, watching the stranger’s breaths cycle up and down in a regular rhythm of sleep, the flower balanced above her nose. It moved gently with her every time she breathed, exaggerating the movements.

Yukie cracked a snort. “This is ridiculous. There’s a flower in this person's face now.”

Yachi opened her mouth to protest, but she found Yukie hiding her face in the crook of her arm, disguising her smile and low chuckles. Yachi trained her attention back on the stranger.

She shifted, her eyes fluttering under the petals of the magnolia blossom. She breathed in a full breath, and the sign of life brought Yachi to tug on Yukie’s sleeve.

“Look, it needed time to work!"

Her eyes blinked to adjust to the light, and she moved to sit up, her arms propping to her elbows. Yachi bent and plucked the flower away.

“Sorry! I was just trying to wake you up, and I didn’t know what to do, so I tried to, I think the smell might’ve worked, but I left it on your face, and… That’s what happened,” Yachi said.

The stranger scratched her head and pressed her hand to the side of her face. A stream of indistinguishable syllables rushed out of her mouth.

“Uhm. What?” Yukie asked. “We only speak Japanese.” She shook her head and made a vague gesture with her hands. She gave up and dropped them.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I understand, but I’m… I’m really… Did I just wake up?” She rubbed the back of her head, disheveling some of her hair and sending it up in a small mess that floated in slight loops of strands.

Yachi fiddled with the flower’s stem between her fingers. “Take this. The scent should wake you up completely.” She nudged it into the stranger's hands until she accepted it.

She lifted it to her face and obediently breathed it in. Her eyes and nose twitched, reacting to the smell, and the expression of awareness dawning in her face rose with a wider set of lightness in her eyes. It quickly morphed into something else, and Yachi couldn’t describe her face as anything other than surprised, wide, her mouth open in narrow amazement.

“It’s lovely, but we’ve only just met. Are you sure I can have this flower…?” she asked.

“I didn’t pick it for anyone else. Why? Is there something wrong with it? Is there a bug?” Yachi leaned forward, swaying on her toes. “Do you need another one?"

“No, I’m… It’s beautiful. I think it’s perfect," she murmured, her voice falling soft. She tucked it into her pocket. "I'll... This means so much. Thank you."

She turned her head away and hid her mouth in her arm, mirroring Yukie's disguise for laughter a few minutes ago, but without the entertained wrinkles outlined in the face, or shaking of laughter, or any degree of merriment whatsoever.

"Oh my god. Are you crying? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to offend you!" Yachi flapped her arms and gave a quick sloppy bow.

Yukie raised an eyebrow. "Nothing about what you did was offensive." She angled to address the stranger. "What's that all about? Are you actually crying?"

"I'm sorry, this was all so sudden for me." She wiped at her eyes and stood up.

"You must've hit your head in that crash. Are you all right?" Yukie asked.

"I believe so." She stretched she arms and shifted into calming her hair with a smooth hand glide. After a moment, she inclined her head in a slight bow. "I'm Shimizu Kiyoko. Thank you for saving me and being here for me."

"I was asleep. This was mostly Yachi's doing." Yukie patted Yachi on the back. "She dragged me out of bed."

"I was just afraid of what happened I. I heard the noise from the crash." Yachi bowed again. “I'm Hitoka Yachi!"

"I'm Shirofuku Yukie."

Yachi gathered herself back up. "Yukie and I travel together!"

Kiyoko’s lips curved into a slight smile. “I see I’m in good hands."

“So uh, what happened? Where’d you come from?” Yukie asked.

“I’m from the moon."

Yukie burst out laughing. “The moon? That’s a good one.” She threw her head back in her laughter, and she disguised the movement to catch a view of the moon suspended overhead.

“But I’m being serious.” Kiyoko’s smile slipped.

“It’d explain why Kiyoko speaks in another language…” Yachi trailed off.

“…You have a point.” Yukie drew her hand to her chin and hummed. “Your airship’s from the moon?”

Kiyoko nodded. “I came to find something, but my ship malfunctioned."

“What’re you looking for? Maybe we’ve heard of it."

“Oh no, I couldn’t trouble you with my troubles. We’ve only known each other for a few minutes, and I… I can’t burden you, Hitoka."

Yukie’s eyes shift to glance at Yachi. “Uh, well, I think we can still hear about it. We know more about Earth than you do, if you’re really from the moon."

Kiyoko’s eyes turned skyward. “I’m looking for a flying castle. I came to find something from it."

Yachi rose on her toes. “The Skyhold? We’re going there, too!” Her fists bumped together in front of her chest. “Maybe we can go together!"

Yukie held out her arm in front of Yachi. “Hold on. How do we know if you’re on our side? We have an enemy in the Skyhold that we have to defeat, but we also have a friend we have to save from there. We can very well be on opposite sides."

“My enemy isn’t a person. There’s a monster living in what you call the Skyhold."

Yachi looked up at Yukie, her eyes brimming with questioning hope.

Yukie ignored her and continued to stare at Kiyoko. “A monster, huh…"

“It came from the moon. I chased it here.” Kiyoko bowed again. “I apologize for the trouble. It came from my home, meaning it’s my responsibility. If you reach the Skyhold without me, then you will have to face it on your own, and that would be unfair. I can’t ask you two to do that."

Yukie’s arm lowered. “I hear you. That’s understandable. If you can fight and know why you’re fighting, then you can come with us."

Kiyoko’s shoulder tension resolved. “Thanks for listening."

“ _Anyway_ , it’s not going to be just us,” Yukie said.

“No?” Kiyoko asked.

“Nope. We’re on our way to rescuing another friend first. Once we pick her up, then it’s straight for the Skyhold. And we also have a stowaway.”

Yukie motioned to Yachi’s pendant, and Yachi twisted her head up to let the pendant shine. Light beams coalesced into it, illuminating the shape of the pendant as a face appeared.

“This is our friend, Michimiya Yui! She’s been kidnapped and taken to the Skyhold. We have to get her out of there,” Yukie explained.

“I heard everything. I’m really grateful that events managed to play out this way,” Yui said, her voice distorted through the magic pendant. “You have my sincere thanks, Kiyoko."

Kiyoko bent to look. “But how are you in there?"

“She’s not really in the pendant. Her original pendant broke in half, and she held on to the other piece, so she can channel magic through the trace connection of itself,” Yachi said.

“Understood.” Kiyoko nodded and stood back.

The light faded, and Yachi let out a sigh in relief.

Yukie wiped at her eyes and groaned. “This is too much to handle in the middle of the night. I’m going back to bed. See you in the morning.” Yukie lifted her sword back up and trudged to the tent.

Kiyoko turned her attention to Yachi. Their silence filled the space of a moment.

“If you want, you can stay in our tent, too. There’s enough room. In fact, we’ll just share everything. You don’t have to worry about food,” Yachi said. She began to walk, and Kiyoko followed.

“I see. It’s like your kidnapped friend said, it’s a good thing that this sequence of events managed to happen like this. I wouldn’t have it any either way."

“So you’re happy?"

“I’m happy I accepted your flower. I hope I’m deserving of it.” Kiyoko clasped her hands together and nodded before she entered the tent and collected herself to a corner to sleep.

Yachi reclaimed her place on the floor, and she stared at the tent ceiling, falling sleeplessly lost in the constellation of stitches again.

 

* * *

 

Yukie took a piece of bread out of her mouth to speak. “You’re a goldmine, Kiyoko,” she said, gazing out over the pile of spell scrolls Kiyoko had laid out to show them. “Not that I’d sell your stuff or use them, since I don't know how to use attack magic, but. You’ll come in handy for sure."

“It’s how I survive and defend myself. I don’t use physical weapons that much."

“I think I’m awful at everything.” Yachi sighed. “I can read these, but I still don’t know how to use them."

“I can show you sometime, if you’d like,” Kiyoko said.

“Really? Thanks!”

Yachi grinned, but it faded and fell dizzy to Kiyoko’s unwavering stare.

Yukie finished her last piece of breakfast and stood up. She clapped her hands free of dust. “It’s time to get a move on. Kaori’s waiting for us."

Kiyoko shifted her attention. “Who’s Kaori?"

“Our first friend we have to save that I told you about. She’s nearby.” Yukie waved her hand. “I’ll explain later."

Yachi and Kiyoko followed her through the snow. It was falling now, softly, in gentle puffs and winds, and Kiyoko watched it descend from the sky as they walked.

Yukie had been in the lead, but she slowed her pace slightly to turn her head to Kiyoko. She gauged her for a minute. “You’re not cold?"

“No. The moon’s cold. I'm used to this, and I like this better than the heat."

Yukie glanced at Yachi. “Ha."

Yachi tightened her cloak and hunched forward. “It’s cold," she grumbled.

“Yeah, sorry. I think it gets even colder up ahead, too. Once we get Kaori back, then we can return to the city, and we’ll have a warm place to stay.” Yukie faced ahead, and her face hardened. She unsheathed her sword and held it in front of her. “Did you hear something?"

“I hear it too."

“I don’t hear anything,” Yachi said. She still prepared for battle and freed her sword as her eyes flickered among the bushes.

A group of four wolves appeared, their paws raking paths in the snow as they stalked forward, their muzzles low to the ground with snarls and growls. Yukie pulled her weapon out from behind her back and held it ahead.

"What're the odds that they'll go away on their own?" Yachi asked.

"Yukie already unveiled her weapon, so I don't think there are any odds left," Kiyoko said. She tucked her hand into her bag, and when she withdrew it with her fist clenched, she held it out to the air and opened her hand. A pile of bright dust billowed with a gust from her lips, and it swept out in an arc in front of them, crackling bits of fire over the wolves.

"That's so cool! What is that?"

"Hitoka, we're in the middle of a fight." Kiyoko's head turned for a brief glimpse of a smile. "But I can show you later."

Yachi grew taller in the floating rise of hope in her chest, and she nodded. She recovered from the excitement and readied her sword.

Yukie fended off a wolf with a flick of her own sword. It cut at the wolf's fur, and the wolf yelped and dropped into a snarl.

Every few minutes, Yachi found herself bedazzled by Kiyoko's magic launched at the wolves. Spells flew in shapes and speeds too fast for her to notice a pattern, but the flares of red and blue that struck the wolves' faces left traces of light in the air, like flameless embers. They spun with whirring crackling noises like manifested thunder before a whip of lightning, the effect slightly subdued with her blue magic.

At the end of the battle, Yukie stuck her sword into the snow and leaned on the handle. "God, that was a lot of monsters."

Yachi swiveled to Kiyoko and bowed. "Thank you! We couldn't've done it without your help! Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem. I'm traveling with you now." Kiyoko rummaged her hand in her bag again.

Yukie's arm swung off her handle, and she stood. "What's all that you've got in there?"

"I have a few things from home." Kiyoko retrieved a small pouch and held it out. "In here is a powder that can be used to reconstruct living bomb fragments."

Yachi's arm shot up. "Oh, I know what a bomb is! It's not the kind of bomb that's a weapon you can build, it's the ancient creature that inspired the bomb."

"Yes, that's right." Kiyoko's eyes softened in the beginnings of warmth. "On the moon, I studied magic and weaponry, and I discovered how to distill the components of bomb powder. In theory, it should have the potential to form a bomb fragment, more closely resembling the creature than the manmade explosive." She closed her hand around the pouch. "Bombs have been dead for ages, and the supply of authentic bombs buried in sediment is dwindling, so I tried to research them."

Yukie stared between them. "I don't understand at all. Yachi's a smartypants, and I get that, but Kiyoko, what...?"

Kiyoko rubbed the side of her neck. "From my time on Earth, I think I understand now some of the discrepancy between the moon's magic development, and Earth's."

"Discrepancy?" Yachi echoed.

"The same principles that govern magic and science still apply to both planetary bodies, but on the moon, we specialized our resources on time energy and combat." She pulled out an hourglass from her bag. "This hourglass, for example, stores time energy by the natural passing of time that turns its sand. This is an ancient relic, so it can't hold much, but it's durable. If you use this during a battle, you can temporarily stop time for everyone but yourself, and you can exploit that to attack."

"That's amazing! Can I see--"

Yukie cleared her throat. "Kaori's _waiting_ for us. We have to get moving. And I thought you were cold, Yachi."

Yachi tugged on her cloak. "Right, I'm still cold. We should get to warm shelter."

Kiyoko closed her bag. "I agree, for your sake."

They turned and walked through the gathering snow. It crunched under their feet, adding an extra element to walking that required balance and dexterity. Yachi was the only one affected by the hazard as snow began to fall in thicker drifts.

"So who's Kaori?" Kiyoko asked. "It seems like we have a long walk ahead, and you never explained earlier."

Yachi remained cold and unable to contribute to the conversation. She glanced between them and rubbed her hands together over her mouth, with her cloak clasped in her hands.

"She's a really close friend." Yukie caught a look at Yachi, and then rolled her eyes. "Yachi would probably chime in and add that Kaori's one of the warriors of light that awakened the crystals of the world a few years ago."

"I don't follow."

Yukie waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing important. History's kind of boring, and titles like that are stuffy and useless."

"What do the crystals do?"

"There's one for every fundamental element of magic. Earth, fire, water, and wind," Yukie said, counting off on her fingers. "I'm terrible at magic and science, so I don't know what their connection is to life on Earth, but they had to be restored to basically keep this planet from falling apart. And after Kaori helped restore them, she fell unconscious, and no one knew why. Long story short, she's under enemy guard, so we're going to get her back."

"Isn't she still unconscious?"

Yukie snorted. "I have the fix to our problem _riiiight_ here," she said, patting her bag at her side. "A soulstone. Some old astrologer gave it to me. It'll just take some simple white magic to activate it."

Kiyoko turned to face ahead. "I'm sorry, but everything from the past few day's starting to catch up to me, and I feel overwhelmed. I think that's all I need to know."

"M'kay. Fair enough." Yukie fell silent.

 

* * *

 

Deep within Eternian central command, Kiyoko stared up at a large liquid-filled machine dominating the entire room. She marveled in her native language for a moment. "What is this?"

"The vivipod. This is Eternian magic healing technology at its finest," Yukie explained. She pressed a hand on the opaque glass. "Kaori's in here."

"Healing technology? That's remarkable..." Kiyoko glanced around. "You''ll have to explain to me later, I want to hear it. So, what do we do?"

Yukie stepped forward and inserted the soulstone. She pressed her hands on it to push it in further, accompanied by a second click. It secured in place with a small flourish of light that condensed at her wrists. She stepped back. "Now we wait, I guess? I don't know how long this'll take to wake her up, but it shouldn't take too long."

They could barely see through the glass, but the figure inside was slowly coming to life, moving one limb at a time at a glacial pace.

"What if someone finds us?" Yachi asked, her voice rising in pitch but falling into a whisper. She held her hands together near her mouth and stretched on her toes.

"I'm sure we'll be able to hear them," Kiyoko said. "I'll go keep watch." She walked to the entryway and stood beside the wall.

Yachi turned to Yukie. "What's...what's Kaori like?"

"Uh, I don't know how to put it. She's sweet, and she's strong. She's friendly, but she prefers the countryside instead of the city." Yukie shrugged. "Just wait to meet her."

Beeps chirped from the control panel on the side, and Yachi froze.

"That's so loud! What if someone comes?"

Yukie walked around the vivipod. "We should start figuring out how to open this thing and get Kaori out." She climbed the staircase to a small lift next to the vivipod, and she felt her hands on the metal until she came to a handle.

Yachi's mouth made it to her fingernails as she spun to glance between Kiyoko on guard and Yukie yanking to work the machine open. Yukie succeeded and dug her hands inside. She sucked in a breath, and her head disappeared for a moment as she dove into the elixir solvent, her arms flailing to find Kaori's hands blind in the murky dark.

She gasped on the break for air on the way out. The movement splashed elixir all over, and she slipped as she carried Kaori onto the lift. Kaori was completely wet and limp, her eyes closed and arms swaying listlessly.

Yukie held her close to her chest until she climbed the stairs down. She carefully placed her on the ground and let out a heaving breath from the effort.

"Shouldn't we take her outside and go? They might still find us!" Yachi exclaimed in a whisper.

Yukie's head fell to look at her. "Fine." She cracked her fingers and picked her up again, hefting her with a jostle to readjust her comfortably. She walked to the hallway where Kiyoko waited, and together, the four of them left the castle to escape to the icy wind outside.

They briefly endured it, and after a short walk, they came to a cave in the neighboring mountains. Yukie finally lowered Kaori on the floor, and right afterward, she collapsed.

"I'm so tired." Yukie clenched her shoulder. "So tired."

"Yu...kie...?" Kaori asked. "What just happened?"

Yukie raised her head. "Kaori! Kaori, I'd hug you, but my arms are so sore, and it's all your fault...!" She slammed her fisted hands on the floor.

Kaori continued to look blankly into the air. "Where are we?"

"You don't know it, but you've been asleep for a long time," Kiyoko said. "Your friend Yukie rescued you."

Yachi had been hovering by Kiyoko's side for the past few minutes, her mouth tight-lipped with questions, and she now approached Kaori with her hand flapping in the air.

"You're Kaori! Kaori the survivor! I've heard so much about you!" Yachi collected her hands at her waist to present herself. "My name's Hitoka Yachi. We'll be traveling together from now on. I'm very honored to work with you!" She bowed three times.

Kiyoko watched her, and then moved to introduce herself. "I'm Shimizu Kiyoko. I come from the moon. I have the same sentiment as Hitoka, and I'm likewise pleased to meet you." Kiyoko bowed and looked at Yachi to gauge the bowing angle.

"Uh, I'm...glad to meet you all? I'm Suzumeda Kaori." She extended her hand. "I'm still not sure what exactly happened."

"You've been asleep for two years," Yachi explained. "Pope Yui was kidnapped recently, and we're on our way to save her."

"That about sums it up," Yukie said, muffled from her face being in the floor.

Kiyoko folded her legs under herself and sat down. "I'm tired, too. I think now is as good a time as any to rest and maybe sleep."

"Sounds good." Yachi plopped down beside Kiyoko.

Kaori leaned back on her hands. "Yui's been kidnapped? So much has happened since I've been gone... Has it really been two years?"

Yukie rolled over onto her side and faced them. "Your hair's looking funny. Bedhead."

"Huh?" Kaori sifted her hand into her bangs. The whorl of hair flattened between her fingertips, and then bounced back into the same small unruly twist.

"Well, she hasn't had a haircut in two years," Yachi said with a giggle.

Kaori patted her hands over herself. "I feel kind of weird."

"How so?" Kiyoko asked.

"I don't know. Light. And I'm hungry. Do any of you have anything to eat?"

Yachi opened her bag and tossed her a roll of bread. Kaori tore off a piece and dug into it.

"Thanks," she murmured through the food. She swallowed and licked her lips.

Yukie extended her arms. "Can I have some, too?"

"Your bag is right there, Yukie," Kaori said.

"It's all the way at my feet."

Kaori continued to eat, but Yachi scooted closer to nudge it with her foot. Yukie tugged it up by the strap and rifled through it for her portions of food.

"I'm glad we're all here in one piece! Now we just need Yui, and everything'll be okay." Yachi's feet swayed side to side.

Kaori's head swiveled. She slowly waved her hand at Kiyoko. "You're from the moon?"

"Yes."

"It's a long story..." Yachi said.

 

* * *

 

"Hitoka, your arm's hurt." Kiyoko stopped in her pace to survey Yachi's arm. She gave it a glance, and then, after Yachi remained unresponsive, stepped closer to carefully lift it.

"Uh," Yachi said after a delayed time.

Kiyoko produced a small ball of floating water in her palm, and she levitated it back and forth between her hands for good measure. She cleaned Yachi's wound of blood, and then dabbed with fabric and set to wrapping her arm in bandages.

Kaori leaned to Yukie and hid her mouth with her hand. "What gives? Kiyoko's been doting on Hitoka on and off for days now."

"I don't know. I even met Kiyoko at the same time as Yachi did, and we're always together and in sight, and I have no idea."

Kiyoko raised her head with an eyebrow raised. "I heard my name."

"Nah, it's nothing," Kaori said. "We're just wondering... What it's like being on the moon, and all."

"Oh." Kiyoko retreated from Yachi.

Yachi tested her arm back and forth. "Thanks, I feel better!"

"You're welcome." Kiyoko dipped her head, and the curving shift of her lips served her smile well.

"Why'd you come to Earth?" Kaori asked Kiyoko.

"Kiyoko's looking for a monster holed up in the Skyhold," Yukie explained.

Kaori spun between them to face them for their comments. "What makes you so bent on getting to it? Are you on a mission?"

"In a way, I am." Kiyoko looked down at her hand, her thumb tracing circles over her finger.

"And I guess it's easier taking it on with a group, huh?"

Kiyoko's eyebrows wrinkled. Her fingers stopped. "I don't mean to take advantage of your companionship like that..."

Kaori's hands waved frantically in front of her face. "That's not what I meant! I mean, it's a good thing." Her shoulders relaxed. "If you weren't here, I think we'd have to fight that thing in the Skyhold, anyway. To save Yui. They'd probably try to throw it at us."

"If that's the case, then...are you saying you want my help? Those are your feelings?"

"Want it? We also _need_ it." Kaori laughed, the sound nervous but flowing away empty. "It's nice to have more people, even if it's just one more person. And you're a nice person, too." Kaori nodded.

Kiyoko's mouth tugged lightly. "Thank you."

"Glad to have you on board." Kaori grinned. "So you really took a liking to our friend Hitoka."

Kiyoko's eyes flicked to avoid hers. "It's only natural."

"Why?"

"She gave me a flower."

"Oh. Okay..." Kaori shifted and leaned to Yukie. "What does Kiyoko mean?"

Yukie shrugged and whispered back, "Yachi did give Kiyoko a flower I guess? Kiyoko was unconscious and needed to be woken up, and the flower did the trick."

Yachi fiddled with her hands. "Can you show me how you do some of your magic, Kiyoko?"

"Sure thing." Kiyoko extended her hand, and a small light flared to life in her palm.

Yachi bent at the waist to lean forward in awe. Her mouth drifted to a frown. "But how do you do it?"

Kiyoko recalled the light into her hand, her fingers gently closing around it as it snuffed out. "Magic can involve the study of science as a precursor, but ultimately, it involves feeling for energy, like the hands of a conductor feeling for the beat."

"I...don't get it..."

"It can't be learned overnight. But it takes a sense of wanting it to begin with. Volition. Like anything else that takes time for skill," Kiyoko said.

"Can you...do you think you can teach me?"

"I think so. It's definitely not impossible for anyone." Kiyoko crossed her arms and surveyed Yachi. "It takes a lot of courage and physical strength to use a sword. And I've never seen you trip or fumble with your sword. You have a lot of potential for battle."

"I do?" Yachi looked down at her hands.

"How long have you been using a sword?"

Yachi rubbed at her shoulder. "I don't know. A few years? I don't remember when I first went to school, either, but I think around the same time."

Yukie leaned in to them. "You've been talking about magic for some time now."

"Interested?" Kiyoko asked.

"No. I know white magic, and I know how to use weapons. I'm satisfied with that."

"I didn't know you could use white magic!" Yachi exclaimed. "Can you teach me, too!?"

"I'm a horrible teacher. I learned from growing up surrounded by it in Eternia." Yukie stopped walking and groaned. "We've been walking a while now. I think we can stop and take a break. For the last half hour, we were barely walking, anyway."

Kaori stretched her arms up and yawned.

"You're not sleepy already, are you?" Yukie asked.

"Wha? No. I just wanted to stretch. My muscles are tired." Kaori lowered her spear and bag to the floor, and then moved on to roll her shoulder.

Yukie's mouth stretched into a grin. "Your muscles? What're we talking about here? Have some need to specifically point them out?"

"You know what I mean. I'm sore." Kaori took a seat on a rock and stretched her legs.

Yachi and Kiyoko sat on another rock. "Yukie, do you know how to cook?" Kiyoko asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I get this feeling that you're the best cook out of all of us."

Yukie sat straighter. "As a matter of fact, I probably am. Do you know how to cook?"

"No."

"I don't, either," Yachi said.

Kaori pointed at Yukie with a laugh. "She always knows what she wants to eat, so that's how she knows what to cook!"

"It takes _skill_ , Kaori."

"Can you cook?" Kiyoko asked again.

Kaori recovered, and she scratched her back. "Not really, but I know how to catch animals and pick the best plants."

"I can pick plants, too," Yachi said.

"So none of us can _actually_ cook..." Kaori trailed off. "We just get by from dumping herbs on anything we find."

"I can cook," Yukie said.

"You make everything too sweet or too spicy."

"I don't mind, and I think Yukie's cooking is good." Yachi frowned. "It sounds subjective if we try thinking about it too hard. Why'd you ask, Kiyoko?"

Kiyoko frowned and glanced at the floor. Her head swayed in thought for a bit, her hand at her chin. "I don't have a reason."

"Uh, alright." Yukie folded her arms over her knee. "Anyway, now that we're talking, how about some more moon stuff? What were you doing on the moon before you came here?"

"Research stopped. I was preparing for combat."

"Right, you were chasing that monster to the Skyhold." Kaori nodded.

"But didn't you crash? Why'd you crash?" Yachi asked.

"I... Something interefered with travel."

Yachi's mouth popped open. "What was it?"

"I think this is prying..." Kaori shifted. "Is it, Kiyoko?"

"A little," Kiyoko said. "If you were complete strangers, I think i'd be bothered. But we've traveled for a while now, and I trust you three." She let out a heavy breath, and then fidgeted with her fingertips to let a moment pass. "A monster called a ba'al attacked me. One of them also attacked the moon."

"Is that why you guys went into combat stuff?" Yukie asked.

Kiyoko shifted to a stiffer height. "To tell the truth, most of the moon was destroyed after a ba'al attack."

"Most of...the moon?" Yachi gathered her hands in her lap, and they fell still. "What about your family and friends?"

"I have a couple friends left. One's still at the home base, and the rest are traveling this planet, like I am."

"That's it?" Kaori asked. Her voice had fallen quieter, going hushed and subdued.

"It's what we have left, yes." Kiyoko's head leaned a little forward, the angle obscuring part of her eyes.

"Uh, uhm..." Yachi's hands fiddled again. "I'm the head of my family. If you need a place to stay after this is all over, you can stay with me in my house."

Kiyoko brightened. "Really?"

" _Really_?" Yukie asked.

"It's not that much trouble!" Yachi's hands clasped her cloak hanging over her legs, bunching up the fabric. "It's not weird, is it?"

"I think it's natural for us. Is it strange for someone to do this on Earth?" Kiyoko asked Yukie.

Yukie rested her chin in her hand. "I guess not...? If Yachi's the head of her family, then there's no one to object and make decisions, anyway."

"We'll see my house when we get to Gathelatio! We're almost there."

"Yeah. We'll definitely rest there for a bit." Yukie leaned back on her hands. "You sound rich. You're rich, aren't you?"

"You're one to talk! Isn't your father the head of Eternia?" Kaori asked. "You lived in a castle."

"But I'm used to my home. We know nothing about Yachi's. What if it's gigantic?"

"I doubt it's as big as a castle."

"I'm looking forward to seeing your home, Hitoka," Kiyoko said. Kaori and Yukie continued to argue around them.

Yachi nodded with a wordless noise in her throat. "I can't wait for you to see it!"

 

* * *

 

"This city is huge," Kiyoko said in marvel.

The fields around Gathelatio were green but empty, inhabited by occasional monsters and interrupted by small settlements and forests. At Gathelatio's doorstep, the city buildings broke from the flat fields and rose from the ground in increments, like the general shape of a mountain's climbing incline. The highest towers were connected by a bridge, and it could be seen right away, but as they walked closer, the network of bridges came into view, threaded at different heights between towers.

Kiyoko, Yukie, and Kaori's heads craned up to watch the bridges overhead on their way to Yachi's house. Shadows passed over them, intercepted with the sunlight streaming around the buildings.

"You're going to walk into someone!" Yachi pulled on Kiyoko's sleeve.

Yukie bumped into the side of a merchant stand. Her face hit the wood, and she held her nose as she stepped back and regrouped.

"Thanks for the warning," Yukie said in a nasal muffle.

"Ah sorry! I can't catch you all at once."

Kaori joined them at Yachi's side. She held up a wooden carving of buildings, intricately detailed and connected in a web of bridges resembling the city. "Look at what I bought! It looks like Gathelatio!"

"When did you wander off?" Yukie asked.

"A few minutes ago."

"And you bought... A souvenir..."

"Yeah."

"Where're you going to keep it?"

Kaori stuffed it into her bag.

"You're going to run out of room if you keep buying souvenirs," Yachi said.

"This is the first one I've bought, at all."

Kiyoko faced ahead as they resumed walking. "Where's home for you, Kaori?"

"I used to live in Norende, but after a giant chasm destroyed it, I had to rebuild it. And the new Norende's tiny. We haven't had much time to construct things."

"Sounds about right. Norende was always tiny, even before the chasm. Kaori's a country girl, and Norende's a country village," Yukie explained.

Kiyoko's eyes softened. "So you understand what it's like to lose your home."

"Yeah... I do..."

The silence occupied a few minutes, even with the activity of the chattering city around them.

Yachi cleared her throat as they turned a corner. "My house is up ahead."

"Where? All I see is that mansion in the way," Kaori said.

"That's it. There's nothing else this way."

Yukie laughed. "It's kind of big. You're rich after all."

" _Kind of_ big? It's huge!" Kaori waved her arm at the mansion coming into view.

"There's no understanding them," Kiyoko told Kaori. "It's huge to me, too."

Yachi unlocked the door and led them in.

Yukie wandered along the wall into the kitchen. "Finally, real stuff to cook with."

"We shouldn't poke around when it's not our house," Kaori said.

"It's alright. Go ahead. There's nothing wrong with it. We're friends." Yachi picked up a decorative box sitting on a table. "Nothing's changed since I left a few months ago, when Yui was kidnapped... Yui was kidnapped from this city..."

Kiyoko stopped beside her. "Did you expect something to change?"

"No, I...well... I don't know." Yachi returned it and flopped in a chair nearby. "It feels weird that time's stood still here, when so much is happening out there."

Kiyoko followed and claimed a seat as well. "Are you glad you're home?"

"Yeah, I am." Yachi's arms slackened to relax. "Sorry, I'm being a terrible host." She rubbed her neck.

"Under the circumstances, I don't think so? Besides, Yukie and Kaori have taken it upon themselves to tour the house."

"I don't feel like stopping them." Yachi shrugged.

"You're not going to let Yukie cook for every meal, are you?"

Yachi leaned in, her mouth tightening to hide its quirk. "Why? Are you getting tired of her food, too?" she asked quietly.

"No. I wanted to cook." She raised an eyebrow. "You're getting tired of it? Why?"

"Kaori's right. Yukie makes everything either too spicy, or sweet, or salty, or just... Dumps spices in."

"Yukie seems to like it."

"I think she got used to it." Yachi stuck out her tongue. "Her spicy food sets my mouth on fire!"

Kiyoko chuckled. "I'll try not to do that when I cook."

"Please try..."

 

* * *

 

Kiyoko carried plates to the table in the dining room. Everyone was seated, and a few dishes were already arranged with food, waiting to be served in individual portions to plates.

Yukie's hand whipped from the table back to her side.

Kiyoko stopped to gauge a look at Yukie. "Did you just take a bite?" Kiyoko asked.

Yukie swallowed and shrugged. "Sitting in front of food you can't eat is torture."

"You could've waited a few more minutes." Kiyoko placed the stack of plates down. "There. Dig in, everybody."

"There's so much food!" Yachi kicked her feet out in excitement, and the tips of her toes brushed into Kiyoko's knees. Yachi jerked them back. "Sorry."

"Ah, it's fine." Kiyoko waved it off and handed Yachi a roll of bread.

"So, is the food different here than what you're used to?" Yukie asked after a few more bites.

"Not really. We used to eat hot pot often, though."

Yachi paused. "What's that?"

"It's kind of like soup. We had soups a lot, too."

"We have soups and hot pot here on Earth, too. It's common in Eternia." Yukie bit a piece of chicken.

Yachi looked back at her food. "I think it's hard for us to understand how different the food is from the moon. We just don't know which food exists for them and which doesn't, if all we know is what we have to begin with."

"I don't understand a word you just said," Kaori remarked.

"Me neither." Yukie nudged her plate forward. "Can I have more of that chicken?"

Kaori slid some onto her plate.

"You say you don't understand attack magic and complicated science, but Yukie, what about white magic?" Yachi asked. "I've seen you do complicated spells here and there."

"That's no big deal. It feels natural to me."

"Maybe it's an unexplainable kind of genius," Kaori said.

"I don't think so," Yukie said.

"I'd like to think so," Kiyoko disagreed, pausing to look at Yukie with a calm gaze. "We're all very skilled in different ways that can be considered genius. Hitoka's an all-around scholar and wealth of knowledge, I'm a magic researcher, you're a white magic swordswoman, and Kaori knows how to use every weapon adeptly."

Yukie's arm slowed in her reach toward a second helping of food. "When you put it that way..."

"I think we make a great team, period," Yachi said.

"Definitely." Kaori nodded and took bite of rice.

"Hitoka, what do you think? Is my cooking okay?" Kiyoko asked.

"I think it's the best out of everyone here."

"Thanks, Yachi," Yukie mumbled.

Kiyoko's mouth twitched to fight a smile.

 

* * *

 

"Have you ever thought about the future, Kiyoko?" Yachi asked.

"What do you mean?"

Yachi crossed her legs in her seat. The two of them were sitting in front of a small dessert shop, resting on the patio under an awning. Most of the tables were filled with customers, but the thrum and bustle around them wasn't busy.

"After we rescue Yui from the Glanz Empire, and the war is over, what do you want to do? Are you going to return to the moon?"

Kiyoko pulled her legs up and rested her arms on her knees. "Return to the moon...? Why're you asking?"

"I don't mean anything by it!" Yachi shook her head and flailed her hands. "I'm just curious. You don't have to think about if you don't want to."

"If we're getting married, then isn't it an unspoken agreement that I'm going to stay with...you..." Kiyoko's voice wavered and faded into a soft quiet.

Yachi's mouth stuttered open and closed. "M-married? What?" She rose in her seat stiffly.

"Isn't that what you meant when you gave me the flower?"

"I gave you the flower to wake you up..." Yachi's hands found the edge of the table, and she tightened her grip on it. "Is, did, did I do something wrong?"

"What do you mean, wake me up?"

"When we first found you, you were unconscious, and the only thing we had on hand that I knew could wake people up was a magnolia flower." Yachi's mouth closed, and then opened again. "Is it different on the moon? Does flower-giving mean something?"

"On the moon, you give a flower to someone as a sign that you want to marry them." Kiyoko stood up, sending the chair's feet squeaking against the ground. "I'm sorry. I think... I have to go." She raised an arm to shield half her face.

"What? Wait! Kiyoko, where're you going?" Yachi stumbled to scoot her chair back and get her legs out from under the table, and by the time she ran halfway down the street, Kiyoko was gone.

Yachi trudged back to the table and left payment for their food. She wrapped the food up in napkins, slowly, working through the motions without a presence of mind on the cake in her hands.

She walked home and left the cake on the table. Yukie and Kaori appeared from the staircase.

"Hey Yachi," Yukie said in greeting. "Where's Kiyoko?"

"I don't know. She ran off." Yachi sat on the couch and let her motion sink her into the cushions with every bit of weight she had.

"Ran off? Why?" Kaori asked.

"I don't even know how to explain..." Yachi sighed, and then collapsed into the armrest. "I don't know where Kiyoko went..."

"Want us to help look?"

"Please."

"We don't know anything about this city," Yukie said. "We might just get lost. What should we do, Yachi?"

Yachi turned to Yukie. "Do spells-to-find-people fall under white magic?"

"Sorry, I don't know any relevant spells."

Yachi's shoulders slumped. "I don't know where to look."

Yukie hummed in thought. "Let's try looking together. Kaori, you can stay put, in case Kiyoko comes back here."

"Okay. Can do."

Yachi followed Yukie out the door. Kaori waved at them on their way out.

"This is probably going to be a useless question, but do you have any idea where Kiyoko could've gone?" Yukie asked.

"No."

"I figured..." Yukie scratched her head. "I don't know where to look."

"We can start by going to the restaurant we were eating at right before Kiyoko left." Yachi stepped ahead to lead, and they combed through streets, keeping lookout for Kiyoko as they headed to the restaurant.

They stopped at the church next, and then the harbor, but Kiyoko still couldn't be found. Yachi leaned her arm against a wooden pole and buried her eyes in her arm.

"I lost Kiyoko!"

"I don't think it's your fault..." Yukie swept her hand over her hair as she surveyed the city from the view of the harbor.

The harbor placed considerable distance between them and the city towers, and from this point, the figures of people on the high bridges could only be seen as vague shapes. Nothing specific could be picked out from them.

"Maybe we should look outside the city. Kiyoko likes to be where it's quiet, sometimes," Yachi suggested.

"Alright. Let's go." Yukie readjusted her bag strap and followed after Yachi to the outskirts of the city.

They fell into pace together, walking at a level speed with each other. Yukie strode past a street in her intent to search, but Yachi grabbed her arm and stopped her. She pointed down the street.

"I think that's Kiyoko," she whispered.

Yukie lowered her arm. "I think you're right. I can't tell from here, but you'd know better than I do." She paused. "What do we do now?"

"Stay here. I'll go talk." Yachi inhaled a large breath, and then faced Yukie. "I can't! I can't do it! It's hard!"

Yukie groaned. "Ughh, just go." She pushed at Yachi's shoulders.

Yachi's feet clacked on the floor from stumbling and staggering, and the noise caught Kiyoko's attention.

Yukie withdrew. "You'll go talk," she said, echoing Yachi's words, and she nudged Yachi one last time before disappearing around the corner.

Kiyoko wiped her face and turned in her seat. The side street was an offshoot from the main shopping district, and a few small businesses claimed root in the shops along the street. Kiyoko sat in a chair in front of a furniture store. Several other chairs and tables remained empty, the tablecloths flapping in the wind that resonated with the chiming bell tower in the distance.

"Hitoka, I want to be alone right now." Kiyoko shifted to face away again.

"Wait! You didn't let--I couldn't speak for myself and finish earlier." Yachi glanced side to side, her eyes darting around Kiyoko instead of at her face.

Kiyoko shifted slightly back toward Yachi. "What is it?"

"Ah, uh, I don't think you should dwell on it and beat yourself up over it." Yachi's mouth tightened for a moment. "It was an accident, and I'll probably do embarrassing things in your eyes, too."

Kiyoko's gaze remained on her, and Yachi rose and fell with a small breath, the rhythm carrying her shoulders in a drifting motion.

"I didn't, I'm, I'm sorry for inconveniencing you because I don't know anything about the moon! It's kind of my fault. You're forced to learn about Earth, but none of us have tried to learn that much about the moon. I'm sorry!" Yachi bent at the waist into an apologetic bow.

Kiyoko sighed out calmly through her nose, and it segued into her response, "Hitoka, what's this? Why're you apologizing? I'm the one who made the mistake."

Yachi rose. "It's embarrassing for me, too, and that's because I'm also to blame! I wouldn't feel this way if it was just you. So please don't feel bad and alone."

Kiyoko's mouth upturned in a twitch. "Hitoka..." Her mouth lost the frown, and she planted her feet more firmly on the floor. "This is still awkward. You know how I feel now."

"But when you thought we were engaged, didn't you think I knew, anyway?"

"That's true..." Kiyoko rubbed her neck. "What do you think about this? What did you think after I ran away?"

"I went back home and asked Yukie and Kaori for help."

"No. I mean, what did you think about me and what I did? What was your reaction?"

"I thought I had to go find you..."

Kiyoko rolled her lips together in thought. "You mean you didn't stop to think about how you felt?"

"No," Yachi said meekly.

"I think I'm flattered that you tore off right away to find me, but how do you feel about the thought of hypothetically marrying me? Not that it's true anymore."

Yachi's mouth stuttered open and closed. "Marrying you? It's. _Hypothetically_ , I. But you're..."

At the falling expression on Kiyoko's face, Yachi resolve returned. "I already said you can stay with me when this war ends. I liked the idea of living together, even if I didn't think it through then or earlier today," Yachi said, her face red, "but I still want to travel and stay together! I thought you were the most beautiful person I've met and I think I felt that in a way to my heart. I mean special! I like you in a way that I want to keep being with you.

"So are you coming back?" Yachi asked, her head angling to hope in her eyes as her hands drifted together.

Kiyoko smiled. "I really can't say no and leave. Let's go home."

**Author's Note:**

> (General A/N that exists at the end of all my fics): I find unsolicited concrit really rude, I'm not looking for any. Please don't tell me someone was OOC/something happened you didn't like/it's too short/etc. in any bookmarks or comments.


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